June 19, 2008
Fear
or Faith—Which Will Override?
Fear
comes to rob you of faith. It is not simply a feeling, but instead it is a foul
spirit. It is not a spirit of God, but of our enemy, the devil. Romans
8:15 says,
“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received
the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
and 2 Timothy 1:7 says,
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a
sound mind.”
Fear
comes in many forms: worry, anxiety, panic, phobias, and nervousness. Fear is
very self-destructive. It affects your body, soul, and spirit. It consumes much
of one’s time and focus by taking your thoughts into imaginations and
eventually into strongholds. If the enemy has been able to get a foothold in an
area of your soul with fear, with just one thought, word, smell, or action he
can jerk you straight to a stronghold bypassing imagination and send your
emotions and bodily reactions into a tail spin. Fear often results in bodily
changes through several behaviors: trembling, upset stomach, anger, sickness,
controlling behavior, compulsive behavior, and more. Spiritually, fear desires
to override your faith, because fear and faith are opposites. One will
override the other. They cannot coexist.
In
Mark 4:40, Jesus said, “But He said to them,
“Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” Fear
is dangerous not only for ourselves, but for those around us.
When we operate out of fear, we may lash out
and bite the ones we love around us.
The
good news is: We were not created in God’s image to fear! God’s messengers
most always began their message with the statement, “Do not fear!” Just as
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, we must learn to trust the God who loves us,
knowing that He is able to deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and He will
deliver us from our enemies, but even if He doesn’t we will not give in to a
spirit of fear.
We
will rise up in faith when fear knocks on our door and shout, “There is NO
room here for you. This house is full of faith!” As we do, even if we do it
trembling, faith will override, and
the fear will have to leave!
Psalm
27:1-3 says,
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the
strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
Though
an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise
against me,
In this I will be
confident.
One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the
house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To
behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His
temple.
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His
pavilion;
In the secret place of His
tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon
a rock.
God
bless.
Janet
Fairbrother